Organized, Royal Society of Canada, Russel MacDonald
Canada was a signatory to the Paris Agreement in April 2016, and has committed to a 30% reduction of 2005 greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions by 2030. Governments across Canada are now struggling to formulate policies and make investment decisions that will allow the nation to meet or exceed this commitment. The decisions that are made will create winners and losers, so lobbyists abound. There is an important role for evidence-based science to inform the policy and investment decisions.
This panel will explore what is needed for Canada’s climate change strategy. It will be begin with a 25-30 minute presentation by Dr. Mark Jaccard, FRSC, from the School of Resource and Environmental Management Simon Fraser University. Two respondents Dr. Catherine Potvin, FRSC (McGill University) Dr. Keith Hipel, FRSC (University of Waterloo) will then have 10 minutes to respond to Dr. Jaccard’s presentation before the moderator opens up the panel to a discussion among themselves and with the audience. The respondents will have received a copy of Dr. Jaccard’s presentation a week before the conference.
The Topics that will be covered by the panelists include:
- Should Canada expand fossil fuel extraction and transport infrastructure? (such as liquefied natural gas (LNG) plants, oil pipelines, shale gas plays, etc)
- Is there a best way to do emissions pricing? (carbon tax vs. cap-and-trade, permit auctions vs. free distribution, protection for trade-exposed industries, linkage to other jurisdictions, carbon tax revenue recycling like BC or spend it like Ontario, etc.)
- What is the role of the federal government vs. the provinces in meeting the Paris commitment? (especially given the diversity of effort and policy challenges and opportunities among the provinces)
- What is the role for other levels of government? (municipal, territorial, First Nations)
- What are the pros and cons of different key technology options? (nuclear, biofuels, carbon capture and storage, intermittent renewables like solar and wind, electric cars, heat pumps, energy efficiency, a trans-national grid, shale gas, etc.)